Streaming Sci Fi TV: Tracking down sci fi and fantasy shows of interest on the streaming services. Note that streaming availability can change with little to no notice.
What Is It?
A gateway that allowed ancient aliens to travel to Earth is discovered and Stargate Command is established to monitor activity and guard against hostiles that present a threat to the planet. Several teams are set up to travel through the gate and explore new worlds with the primary team, SG-1, consisting of Colonel Jack O’Neill, Captain Samantha Carter, scientist Daniel Jackson, and the alien Teal’c. They travel to the worlds that the ancient aliens had previously visited while also defending against threats such as the Goa-uld, the Replicators, and the Ori. The series is a continuation of the 1994 film Stargate.
Aired: Showtime / The Sci Fi Channel, 1997-2007, 10 Seasons Totaling 214 Episodes
Starring: Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Don S. Davis, Ben Browder, Claudia Black
Created By: Brad Wright, Jonathan Glassner
Why Watch It?
Following the 1994 Stargate feature film, this series arrived on Showtime in 1997 and carried on the story, though with a new cast. It lasted for ten years (five on Showtime and five on the Sci Fi Channel) and also produced two direct-to-video movies, and launched a franchise that includes two more live-action shows, an animated entry, and a new series in the works. It hit the airwaves at the same time that the Star Trek sequel shows and Babylon 5 were bringing grand space sagas to television, and it followed their lead, though with a more budget-friendly approach (using the Stargate instead of space ships to get from planet to planet). But it still delivered some excellent sci fi TV and has gone on to be considered a classic in the genre.
Essential to this show are the central characters and the actors that portrayed them. Richard Dean Anderson (ex-MacGyver) and Michael Shanks replaced Kurt Russell and James Spader in the roles of Jack O’Neil and Daniel Jackson respectively, and quickly made the characters their own. Christopher Judge took on the expected gruff alien role but managed to steer clear of making it a Worf redo. And Amanda Tapping proved that she could hold her own next to her male co-leads, providing a strong female presence in the series. Don S. Davis’ George Hammond is also essential to the team, and later-season players such as Ben Browder, Beau Bridges, and Claudia Black proved good additions to the show as well. And at ten seasons (one of the longest-running sci fi TV shows of all time), this one will keep you busy for a while
Where Is It Streaming?
All ten seasons of this show are currently available for streaming on MGM+. That service features MGM titles, and it has some decent genre originals such as From and The Institute as well as a large number of that studio’s movies. Plans start at $7.99 per month, or as low as $5.17 per month for the annual plan. You can also do an add-on plan through services like Amazon’s Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Apple TV, and more
SG-1 is also available on Netflix, and all of the live-action television entries from the franchise are streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video, which includes Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate Universe, as well as the two movies The Ark of Truth and Continuum. Stargate: SG-1 is also available to stream on demand for free with ads on Pluto TV, and they have a live-streaming channel with all of the live-action entries in the franchise. CometTV also airs episodes of SG-1 throughout the week, so you have plenty of options to catch the series.
Keep up with the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows as well as news and updates on new and upcoming shows at CancelledSciFi.com.
Cancellation Watch: Status updates and breaking news on renewals and cancellations
Sci Fi TV Highlights: Listings for the upcoming week along with the latest sci fi TV news and trailers.
Sci Fi TV Production Report: News on which sci fi TV shows are moving into production.
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